Hydrofoil



United States Patent Herbert A. Adam Inventor [56] References Cited 4s7icuayamaluemm UNITED STATES PATENTS A l N 2:2 3,114,343 12/1963 l-leadrick m1. 114/665 f 1968 3,121,414 2/1964 Peterson 114/665 1 9 Patented Dec. 8, 1970 Primary Examiner-Andrew H. Farrell Attorney-Douglas S. Johnson ABSTRACT: A jet engine-propelled boat has a delta-shaped 1 hydrofoilcarried in the lower part of the hull with hydrauli- HYDROFOIL i 1 cally operated rams lifting and lowering the foil in relation to 6 Claims 5 Drawing F l the hull, the foil having exhaust louvers at its trailing edge con- U.S. Cl. l14/66.5 l nected to the jet engine with movable thrust plates at the rear Int. Cl B63b 1/22 of the boat in line with the exhaust louvers to permit Field of Search ll 4/66.5(H) i directional control. 1

- 24 1 1 1 1 1 26 7 1% 28 Y ,4 86 68 1 1 22 l L 74 l 1 g V I .3 i l l l 1 LJ PATENTEBUEB elem f SHEET10F4 Attorney PATENTED DEC 8 I970 sum: or 4 INVENTOR. HERBERT A. ADAM J Attorney PATENTEUUEE 8 I976 sum 3 [1F 4 l l I FIGS lNvEN'roR; HERBERT A. ADAM Attorney 7 SHEET 0F 4 INVENTOR. HERBERT A. ADAM 'BY, wv jw v Attom e y v v HYDROFOIL This invention relates to jet-propelled boats provided with a single delta-shaped hydrofoil to give the requisite lift action to the hull to enable the boat to travel at high speed.

The invention will now be described in relation to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a craft incorporating a single delta-shaped hydrofoil constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view partially broken away of the hydrofoil craft shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section on the lines 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the lines 4-4 of FIG. 2 with the hydrofoil in the loweredop'erative position; and.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of tge hydrofoil.

As shown in FIG. 1, the craft, generally denotedby the numeral 10, has a hull 12 which, as described later, is adapted on its underside to receive a hydrofoil vehicle 14.

ples, the bow being formed of curved walls 16 and 18 which merge on each side of the hull 12 into a substantially vertically disposed sidewall 20 at the stern of the craft 10.

The wall 16 and the merging opposed sidewalls 20 are surmounted by a deck 22 which in turn is surmounted by a conning tower 24 positioned adjacent the stern of the craft 10.

The forwardly disposed portions of the deck 22 and the conning tower 24 are tapered towards the stem to provide the requisite streamlining effect.

The conning tower 24 has air intake louvers 26 at its front end and opposed exhaust louvers 28 at its sides. The conning tower 24 houses in separate vertically disposed compartments 28 and 30 a pair of jet engines 32 and 34, see FIG. 2,-horizontally disposed stabilizer fins 36 and 38 extend outward of the conning tower 24 as shown in FIG. 1, and a pair of rudders 40 and 42 extend rearwardly from the conning tower 24.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the underside of the hull 12 is adapted to receive a hydrofoil 14, the shape of which is shown more particularly in FIG. 5. The underside of thehull 12 is developed, progressively towards the stern into a somewhat concave section, the bow end of which corresponds to the lower edge of the hull 12. In the direction of the stem the hull l2 progressively forms two outer runners 44 and 46, see FIG. 4, as a result of the development of the concave section. The shape of the underside of the hull 12 corresponds partly to the delta shape of the upper surface of the portion 48 of the hydrofoil 14, see FIG. 5 and FIG. 2.

A recess is provided on the underside of the hull 12, directly below the conning tower 24 to accommodate a substantially rectangular pad 50 which is integral with the portion 48 of the hydrofoil 14, see FIGS. 2 and 5.

The rectangular pad 50 is provided with seatings 52,

disposed adjacent each comer, which accommodate the ends of hydraulically operated movable rams 54, see FIGS. 2 and 4. The rectangular pad 50 also has a pair of circular vertically disposed compartments 56 and 58; when the pad 50 is connected to the hydraulicrams 54 through the seatings 52, the compartments 56 and 58 are alined respectively with the compartments 28 and 30 in the conningtower 24.

An individual sliding sleeve arrangement, generally denoted by the numerals 60 and 62,, is disposed respectively in the compartments 56, 28 and 58, 30; only one of the sliding sleeve engine 32 the casing 68 is in turn secured to the conning tower 24. The casing 68 communicates with the exhaust lou vers 28.

Individual exhaust deflector cones 70 and 72 surround respectivelythe jet engines 32 and 34; the operation of only one of the valves 70 and 72 will be described. The valve 70 cooperates with the casing 68 so that in one position the exhaust gases from the engine 32 are deflected through the exhaust louvers 28 to which the casing 68 is connected. In the other position the valve 70 prevents. escape of gases through the louvers 28 and the exhaust gases are directed towards the sleeve 64 and over a center cone 74 and down the multiple tube system 76 to exit. l

The ends of multiple tubes 76 are: connected to the sleeve 64, the tubes-76 surrounding the lower end of the center cone 74; the tubes 76 are taken through the foil 14 and emerge at its trailing edge 78to form nozzles 80, as shown in FIG. 4. Ball type closure shutoff valves 82 are provided adjacent the nozzles 80 to prevent water entering the multiple tubes 76 when the jet engines 32 and 34 are not running. Means not shown are provided to operate the valves 82 and an emergency set of valves 84 are provided in the tubes 76 immediately below the sleeve 64, the valves 84 being servo operated to close in the event of the ball valves 82 failing to close.

When the pad 50 is in the raised position inside the hull 12 a small clearance gap will be present between the surface of the hydrofoil l4 and the hull 12. The air intake louvers 26 are connected by a channel 86 to the upper surface of the pad 50.

When the craft 10 is moving the air from the louvers 26 flows downward between the pad 50 and the hull cavity to prevent water rising up into the hull 12. The air also flows over the delta portion 48 of the hydrofoil 14 to reduce the drag on the foil surface. The leading edge of thefoil l4is preferably provided with an air distribution slot 90 which communicates withthe channel86.

Two deflectors 88 of arcuate formation are mounted at the stem of the craft 10 and are movable as shown in FIG. 2

through the horizontal plane of movement of the exhaust gases emerging from the nozzles 80. l

When the craft 10 is in the stationary position, the foil 14 is in the upward retracted position andthe ball shutoff valves 82 are closed. To get the craft, 10 under way the jet engines 32 and34 are started with the respective exhaust deflector cones and 72 in the position to permit the exhaust gases to be deflected through the exhaust louvers 28. Movement of the craft 10 is effectedby opening the ball shutoff valves 82 in response to the closure of the cones 70 and 72; as a result the exhaust gases deflect downward over the center cone 74 into the multiple tubes 76 to emerge from the nozzles 80 at the trailing end 88 of the foil 14. The craft 10 will now move fora ward under the propulsion from nozzles 80, and to halt this forward motion or to go into reverse the reverse thrust plates 88 are lowered. As the speed of the craft 10 is reduced and forward motion is lost, the hydrofoil 14 is retracted back into the hull 12 through upward movement of the hydraulically;

and 72 are opened allowing the engine discharge to pass through the exhaust louvers 28.

It will be appreciated that if the exhaust from the nozzles 80 is subjected to a certain amount of vertical deflection above and below the horizontal plane, this will have the effect of forcing the trailing edge of the foil 14 downwards and uparrangements 60 and 62 will be described. The lower end of the portion 64 of the sleeve 60 is secured to the foil structure 48. The sleeve portion64 slides inside a sleeve 66, the upper end of which is secured to the casing 68 surrounding the jet wards, respectively. This is achieved by independently raising or lowering the reverse plates 88; thus if one of the plates 88 is lowered whilst the hull 12 is in the water, the exhaust gas flow from the set of nozzles in line with the lowered plate 88 will 1 It will be appreciated that the reversed thrust plates 88 will not be operated while the craft 10 is airborne and riding on the foil 14.

The craft 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1 uses two jet engines but it will be appreciated that additional engines may be mounted in the hull 12 or at the sides. In smooth inland waterways it is advantageous to provide a retractable swing wing 86a mounted near the bow of the craft 10. The swing wing 86a is used to control pitch at high speed as the foil 14 is running in the minimumly submerged position.

It is a feature, however, that the craft is designed to operate in marked wave conditions and this results from the fact that the hull 12 of the craft l clears the top of any wave action but the hydrofoil is always submerged even in the trough of a wave; as a result the attendant vibration and operational limitations of hydrofoils used in the ladder foil system are eliminated.

1 claim:

1. A jet-propelled boat comprising a hull, a hydrofoil on the underside of said hull, reciprocal means for raising and lowering said hydrofoil with respect to said hull, propulsive jet means in said hull to propel said boat, multiple channel means in said hydrofoil, the respective one end of said channel means emerging at the trailing edge of said hydrofoil, and extensible conduit means conducting the exhaust gases from said jet engine means into the respective other ends of said multiple channel means.

2. A jet-propelled boat according to claim 1, wherein the hydrofoil is delta-shaped.

3. A jet-propelled boat according to claim 1, wherein said hull has exhaust louvers and first valve means are provided to permit the exhaust gases to exit from said exhaust louvers, and second valve means responsive to first valve means are provided in said multiple channel means to terminate the passage of said exhaust gases from said jet engine means.

4. A jet-propelled boat according to claim 1, wherein said reciprocal means are hydraulically operated rams secured in said hull, the free ends of which are secured to said hydrofoil.

5. A jet-propelled boat according to claim 1, wherein said hydrofoil is maintained a predetermined distance away from the underside of said hull, and air louvers are provided in said hull, said louvers communicating with the space between said hydrofoil and said hull.

6. A jet-propelled boat according to claim 1, wherein an arcuate deflector plate is secured to the stern of said hull, said deflector plate being movable to intercept the exhaust gases emanating from said multiple channel means. 

